The present disclosure relates to a sheet accommodating cassette and an image forming apparatus including the sheet accommodating cassette, and particularly to a sheet accommodating cassette that includes a sheet loading plate and a lift mechanism that lifts up and down the sheet loading plate, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet accommodating cassette.
A paper feed cassette (a sheet accommodating cassette) is used for feeding paper such as cut paper in an image forming apparatus such as a copier or a printer. A large number of sheets of paper to be printed are kept in stock in the paper feed cassette in advance. A paper feed roller, a pickup roller, and the like located in the vicinity of the paper feed cassette feed the paper sheet by sheet from the uppermost sheet by separating each sheet from a stack of the paper in the paper feed cassette.
A known paper feed cassette includes a sheet loading plate for placing paper on an upper surface thereof. An upstream end of the sheet loading plate in a paper feed direction is supported within the paper feed cassette. The sheet loading plate is pivotable about a pivot with its downstream end in the paper feed direction being a pivotable end (free end). Also, the paper feed cassette includes a lift mechanism that lifts up and down the pivotable end of the sheet loading plate.
For example, the lift mechanism includes: a push-up plate that comes into contact with the underside of the sheet loading plate and lifts up and down the pivotable end of the sheet loading plate; a rotary shaft to which the push-up plate is fixed; and a connecting member that is fixed to an end of the rotary shaft opposite to an end to which the push-up plate is fixed and that includes a rotary shaft-side coupling member and a gear to which driving force is input from a main body of the image forming apparatus. The main body of the image forming apparatus includes an output section including a coupling member and a gear that is connected to the connecting member and transmits the driving force. The connecting member is connected with the output section when the paper feed cassette is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus. When the driving force is transmitted to the connecting member and the rotary shaft rotates forward, the push-up plate pivots upward and lifts the sheet loading plate.